LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – Officials with the Broward Sheriff’s Office have identified the 7-year-old girl who died after being trapped underneath sand along with her 9-year-old brother on Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach Tuesday afternoon.
BSO spokesperson Claudinne Caro said Wednesday that Sloan Mattingly and her brother, Maddox Mattingly, were digging a hole in the sand at around 3:15 p.m. when they were buried beneath it.
Authorities believe the hole collapsed on them. In a frantic rescue effort, onlookers and first responders dug out the children, who were rushed to local hospitals.
Sloan was pronounced dead after being taken to Broward Health Medical Center, according to BSO. Her brother survived.
Sloan, Maddox and their parents were vacationing in South Florida from Fort Wayne, Indiana, that city’s ABC affiliate, WPTA, confirmed.
“A freak accident happened yesterday while we are here on vacation and it took away our greatest 7.5 years,” The siblings’ mother, Therese Mattingly, posted to Facebook. “Don’t tell us you’re sorry for our loss…don’t do that to us. We experienced the purest human being and we are forever changed by her.”
We love you beyond any stretch of the imagination. Our sweet Sloan. What we would give.
According to Sandra King, a spokesperson for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, the boy was buried up to his chest in sand when first responders arrived. She said the girl was completely buried underneath the boy.
The hole was 5 or 6 feet deep when the collapse happened, she said.
Authorities released 911 calls Wednesday from horrified onlookers.
“I am on the beach in front of High Noon and there is a child that they are trying to get out,” a caller said.
The caller later told the dispatcher, “The father started yelling for help that his child is caught in a hole in the sand.”
Additional 911 excerpts:
“There is a little girl buried under the sand and they have not got to her yet,” a frantic caller said.
Rescuers used support boards to keep more sand from collapsing in as they used shovels to dig the children out, King said. She didn’t know how long they were buried.
David Davies said he witnessed what happened and tried to help dig Sloan and Maddox out.
“I don’t know how they are going to make it going forward. I mean, it is such a tragedy,” Davies said. “The young boy, I feel really bad for him, because you could see he was very visibly upset.”
Sloan attended Lafayette Meadows Elementary School in Indiana. The school’s principal informed students and staff members of the tragedy in a message on Wednesday.
“Sloan Mattingly was a bright, sweet, loving 1st grade student in Ms. Vanbrocklin’s class,” it read in part. “Sloan passed away on Tuesday.”
Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for final expenses.
It wasn’t immediately known whether an adult was helping the children dig the hole.
Caro said BSO detectives were continuing to investigate the incident Wednesday.
Editor’s note: In a news release Wednesday, BSO initially stated that Sloan Mattingly was 5 years old. The agency later issued a correction, noting that she was 7. This story has been updated accordingly.